Patterns Of Waste

As I was reading this article today, it reminded me of something that always lingers in my mind, whilst I am working: 

Imagine what would happen if the retail giants would do just one simple thing to 'Green' up.....

Stop throwing away the merchandise that doesn't sell within the predetermined time limit. 

I don't think people realize what happens to all those little trinkets, and baubles, and other larger items, once a season ends, or a deadline has been reached. Anything from books, to glass, to styrofoam-laden seasonal decorations, and more gets tossed in the compactor, to make way for the next round of not-much-needed items. 

The least they could do, if they insist on creating so much waste, would be to forward their waste to one of the many waste processing centers, where all waste is sorted, and the majority becomes recyclable material.  

http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/article_3547.shtml

http://www.medina-ohio.net/business/profiles/aug_03/centralprocessing/index.html

Another method would be to donate many of these items to schools, shelters, nursing homes, whatever......if you're going to throw it out, then what does it matter if it goes in a compactor or to someone who can put use to it.  Here's a prime example, coming from a situation I see in my own retail industry:

Anyone who sells crafts and fabrics, patterns, notions, etc. will clear out space (merchandise) to make room for more up-to-date items.   This means anywhere from 50-100 clothing patterns, completely untouched, brand new, never opened, will go into the dump, usually on a monthly basis.  Likewise, the pattern books, displays, and the like will follow.  

What would happen if these pattern books, and the patterns that come from the books were to be donated to high schools, colleges, nursing homes, etc.?   I don't know why they don't get this, but here it is:   It would result in MORE SALES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Because once you've selected the pattern, you've got to spend anywhere between $10-30 or more purchasing fabric, notions, trims, etc.   Not to mention the fact, that once you've got the customer through the door, you KNOW they will more than likely purchase other items as well. 

A small bit of calculating ensues:

Figure a modestly-sized city, with at least 20 Junior, Middle, and High Schools:

20 schools with home-ec programs
Each school with at least 3 home-ec classes (totally a guesstimation) per 9-week session
Each class holding, say, 15 students
 _________________________________

180 x 20=3600 students per school year. 

Now, those 3600 students having full access to discontinued pattern books, and patterns, will all now need to go to their local fabric vendor and purchase the necessary items to complete any given project.  

3600 x $30=$108,000, just for ONE project. 

This is the bare minimum in figuring.  How can this possibly hurt the bottom of any fabric retailer?   It brings more traffic to the store, more product turnover, and the potential to increase those $30 tickets to at least $50 or more.   When you factor in the free access to all of the discontinued patterns, as well as the fact that these could be distributed to colleges and nursing homes/assisted living facilities, those numbers virtually skyrocket. 

Perhaps the vendors of the these consumer goods should consider kickbacks (for lack of a better term) for their distributors when they DONATE unsold goods, rather than dump them.

It's nigh on impossible for someone like me to calculate the impact of such a decrease in waste going into our landfills, but it's something that really irks me about working retail.   All the facial "greening up" efforts are fine, but unless we as consumers, and as corporations, stop wallowing in all this waste, we're going to be hip-deep in it soon, with absolutely nothing to show for it!!!